Explosive.



UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

CHRISTIAN EMIL BIOHEL', OF HAMBURG, GERMANY.

EXPLOSIVE Specification of Latters Patent.

Patented May 5, 1908.

' Original application filed July 6, 1903, Serial No. 164,453. Divided and this application filed May 24, 1905.

Serial No. 262,089.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN EMIL BICHEL, a Sub ect of the German. Emperor,

residing at Hamburg, in the German Empire,

.fire-damp and so that they will not exert an injurious eifect on thechoke-damps, 'i. 6., so that the products of explosion will not injuriously affect the air 1n the mine to unpleasantly affect the breathing of the Workmen; this application being a division of my application erial Number 164,453, filed. July I have found that the-addition of an alkaline metal chlorid will dampen the flame of short flame and quick burning ex losives and prevent them from igniting fiream as well as coal dust laden atmospheres o mines. This I accomplish by incor crating in the explosive such salts as will y double decomposition roduce the desired alkaline metal chlorid, t e va or of which is not deleterious to health and oes not contaminate the air in' the mine to make it unpleasant to breathe. These salts are used, preferably, but not necessarily, in e uivalent quantities, that is, quantities such that the desired elements will be present to recombine-to form the required quantity of alkaline metal chlorid. To this end I add to the ex losive or incorporate in it a nitrate of an alka ine metal, such as sodium or potassium nitrate and a suitable chlorid as ammonium chlorid, which by the combustion of the explosive form'alkaline metal chlorid. It has beenstated by official commissions in countries where fiery mines are worked, that all explosives whenfired in mixtures of pit gas or coal-dust ,are liable to ignite this mixture if the quantity used for the shot is lar e enough. i

t is the object of this invention to render most of the explosives safer against firecordance with t damp and dry coal-dust, than they are without the means mentioned herein. For ex ample, the quantity of usual No. 1 dynamite (of 75% nitroglycerin and 25% of kieselguhr) of 5 grams regularly ignites a mixture of 8% of fire-damp (or a suitable quantity of benzin vapor which gives the same efiect), whereas an explosive manufactured in ac- 11S invention requires a quantity of more than 500 grams without losing a great percentage of its strength, so that the safety is as 5 is to 500. The ob ectof the 1nvention' therefore is to render the work in fiery mines safer.

The examples given hereinafter, recording, as they do, the results of actual experience, will confirm the above statements and the success of the invention.

1. Donarite of the following compositions:

86 per cent. of donarite per cent. of ammonium chlorld and as'per cent. sodium nitrate 425 There was a reduction in the power displayed amounting to about 8 per cent.,wh1le safety was enhanced five-fold.

2. Roburite of the following composition:

Nitrate of ammonia; 72.5 per cent. Binitrobenzol 12 Potassium nitrate 10 Sulfate of ammonium 5 Permanganate of potassium- 0.5

' Safety: Roburite alone Q. 325 grams Roburite with ammonium chlorid a substituted for ammonium sulfate 400 At the same time there occurred an increase in the power.

3. An explosive hereinafter termed X, of the following composition:

95 per cent. of explosive X+5 per cent. of ammonium chlorid- 400 92 per cent. of explosive X+8 percent. of ammonium chlorid- 500 The power displayed became reduced by 3 per cent. when 5 per cent. of ammonium chlorid was added to the ex losive.

The following table is intended to account for the influence exerted by ammonium chlorid when added to explosive X, the explosive of the aforesaid composition, viz:

iDuration oi flame (or Length of Heat evolved at explosion, at Safety in 7 flash) in flame in thermal umts' 1/1000 of a centimeters grams 1 second. I Explosive X alone 863 U. 403 54 250 95 per cent.explosive X+8 per cent. ammoniumchlorid 781 ..l 0.2m 4r, 400 92 per cent.expiosive X+8 i per cent. ammonium chlo- 1 rid 745 0.210 40 500 and upi wards.

This table is based upon the method of investi ation of ex losives published in part III 01. 50 of t e journal Zeitschrift far Ber Hiittenand Salinenwesen.

ence it will be seen that by the addition of ammonium chlorid to the explosive X already containing 9.5 per cent.,of potassium nitrate the number of thermal units, the time of flash, and the lengthof flame are reduced, while the safety from fire-dam is made to become double what it was be ore, that is to say, without the separate addition of ammonium chlorid.

y incor orating in or adding to the explosive or lastin powder a nitrate of an alkaline metal and a suitable chlorid, I accomplish two things, first, the acid radical of the nitrate will furnish oxygen for the combustion and its metallic radical will combine with the chlorin of the chlorid to produce a dampener for the flame.

I wish it understood that in the claims, the term alkaline metal salt means-not only a single salt of such, but also a mixture of such salts and although I mention a single chlorid, mixtures of chlorids are to be also intended,

since it is immaterial whether a single salt, as

a nitrate and a chlorid or mixtures of nitrates and chlorids of difl'erent metals are used, the primary object being to form as one of the products of the explosion, the vapor of a chlorid of an alkaline metal or metals, such as sodium chlorid, potassium chlorid or both.

Having thus described in invention, What I claim as new therein and esire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A short flame detonating-ex losive con taining a salt of an alkaline meta and a suitable chlorid intimately mixed, which by' double decomposition, on explosion will produce vapor of an alkaline metal chlorid sufficient to damp the flame and thereby prevent ignition and explosion of fire-damp, sub,- stantially as described.

2. A short flame, detonating explosive containin substantially combining wei hts ot chlori of ammonium and a nitrate 0 an al- 80 kaline metal intimately mixed to produce an inert product of combustion suflicient to damp the flame and enhance the safety of the explosive against fire-damp explosions, substantially as described.

3. A short flame detonating explosive containing chlorid of ammonium and a nitrate of an alkaline metal intimately mixed and which by double decomposition produces a vapor of alkaline metal chlorid sufficient to damp the flame to prevent ignition and explosion of coal dust laden atmosphere and of fire damp.

4. A detonating explosive containing a mixture of a chlorid, and a nitrate of a metal of the alkalies intimately mixed which on explosion will roduce a vapor of a chlorid of the metal 0 the alkalies sufficient to dam the flame, and prevent the ignition of coa dust laden atmosphere and fire dam 5. A short flame detonating explosive containing substantially combining weights of ammonium chlorid and a nitrate of a metal of the alkalies intimately mixed in proportions sufficient to dampen the flame and pre-. 105

vent the ignition of coal dust laden atmosphere and fire-damp.

6. A short flame detonating explosive containing substantially combining Weights of ammonium chlorid and sodium nitrate intimately mixed in pro )ortions sufficient to dampen the flame an prevent the ignition of coal dust laden atmosphere and fire-damp.

7. A short flame detonating explosive containing about ten dper cent. of a mixture of ammonium chlori and sodium nitrate said substances being present in the proportion of their combining weights.

In testimony that I claim theforegoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence 01' two subscribing witnesses.

CHRISTIAN EMIL 'BICHEL. 

